This invention relates generally to improvements in disk drive units of the general type used in modern microcomputers such as personal and desk top computers and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for coupling a disk drive spindle motor of a disk drive unit to associated drive electronics mounted typically on an adjacent circuit board.
Disk drive units in general are known in the art for use in modern microcomputers such as personal and desk top computers and the like. In one popular form, such disk drive units comprise a so-called Winchester disk drive having one or more rotatably driven memory storage disks mounted within a substantially sealed disk drive housing along with one or more related electromagnetic heads for reading and writing data on appropriately prepared disk surfaces. A disk drive unit of this type, sometimes referred to as a "hard" or "fixed" disk, is normally available as a compact package with the sealed housing on a rigid chassis or frame together with a circuit board carrying the necessary drive electronics for interfacing with other components of a computer system. In this regard, the disk drive unit requires a power connector plug for supplying electrical power to the drive electronics on the circuit board, together with appropriate connector fittings or the like for coupling the drive electronics with a suitable spindle motor for controlled rotational driving of the memory storage disks. In addition, one or more interface connectors are normally provided for coupling the drive electronics to the computer system, such as a main system controller which supplies appropriate commands to the disk drive unit for reading and/or writing data.
In the past, assembly of a fixed disk drive unit in combination with an associated circuit board with drive electronics thereon has been a relatively difficult task requiring considerable manual labor and attention. More particularly, as one example, the spindle motor for the disk drive unit is commonly mounted within the substantially sealed disk drive housing and is designed for multiphase dc operation such that a group or bundle of spindle motor leads must be individually connected as by soldering or the like to the drive electronics on the circuit board. These spindle motor leads protrude from the sealed housing typically at the underside thereof and are normally soldered to respective terminals of a connector fitting adapted for plug-in engagement with a mating fitting mounted on the circuit board. Alternately, in some cases, the spindle motor leads may be soldered to a multiconductor cable which is coupled in turn to the associated connector fitting. In either case, however, connection of the spindle motor leads to the drive electronics has required intensive manual effort to result in relatively slow and costly assembly of the disk drive unit.
There exists, therefore, a significant need for an improved apparatus and related method for coupling the spindle motor leads of a disk drive spindle motor to the associated drive electronics, wherein the improved apparatus and method provide for simplified and faster assembly of a disk drive unit by use of methods conducive to automated assembly processes. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages.